TALLAHASSEE — For the last six years, Gov. Ron DeSantis has been used to getting his way with the state Legislature, at times slashing the priorities of Republican leaders and calling them back to Tallahassee to pass bills that boost his political profile.
No more.
DeSantis now finds himself in a place he’s never been before: in a standoff with the state’s Republican House speaker and Senate president over his call for a special legislative session next week to change laws on immigration, voting and condominiums.
So far, DeSantis appears to be losing.
He’s taken to publicly shaming GOP lawmakers on X and on Fox News, accusing them of hypocrisy by not supporting President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. On Tuesday, he sent a plea through the Republican Party of Florida’s email list asking voters to call their local lawmakers.
On Thursday, DeSantis held a news conference in Jacksonville to pressure lawmakers to act on immigration.
“Monday’s special session is a great opportunity for the members of the Florida Legislature to basically put their money where their mouth is,” DeSantis said.
TALLAHASSEE — For the last six years, Gov. Ron DeSantis has been used to getting his way with the state Legislature, at times slashing the priorities of Republican leaders and calling them back to Tallahassee to pass bills that boost his political profile.
No more.
DeSantis now finds himself in a place he’s never been before: in a standoff with the state’s Republican House speaker and Senate president over his call for a special legislative session next week to change laws on immigration, voting and condominiums.
So far, DeSantis appears to be losing.
He’s taken to publicly shaming GOP lawmakers on X and on Fox News, accusing them of hypocrisy by not supporting President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. On Tuesday, he sent a plea through the Republican Party of Florida’s email list asking voters to call their local lawmakers.
On Thursday, DeSantis held a news conference in Jacksonville to pressure lawmakers to act on immigration.
“Monday’s special session is a great opportunity for the members of the Florida Legislature to basically put their money where their mouth is,” DeSantis said.
President Trump began his pledge to give America a MAGA makeover Monday, taking a slew of executive actions to walk back Biden-era policies and fulfill bold campaign promises.
The big picture: Trump’s radical expansion of executive power will dramatically change life for millions of people if the orders withstand the barrage of legal challenges that are already coming.
President Trump executive orders list 2025
What Trump’s Day 1 executive orders do…
Immigration executive orders
Many of Trump’s first orders curtail immigration at the southern border.
- He promised mass deportations but hasn’t detailed how he would implement, staff and fund such a massive, costly operation.
Trump declares national emergency at Mexico border
Trump declared an emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, vowing to deploy troops to the region, including the National Guard. He also instructed the secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to construct additional border barriers.
- Trump designated “certain international cartels” and organizations, such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13, as foreign terrorist organizations and announced plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target them.
Two days after Florida’s GOP legislative leaders said that they were not aware of any specific guidance from Donald Trump about his plans to combat illegal immigration, Gov. Ron DeSantis responded Wednesday with a detailed list of proposals he expects the Legislature to approve when it convenes in the special session he has called for later this month.
“We are not approaching the new administration in a lackadaisical fashion,” DeSantis said during a press conference at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. “We in Florida have a sense of urgency to accomplish this mission, and the mission is very simple. We need to end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all in these United States of America.”
The proposals he said he wants the Legislature to pass during the special session he called for Jan. 27 include:
- Require that city, county, and state law enforcement officers have “maximum” participation in any program to assist the federal government in enforcing federal immigration laws.
- Enact criminal penalties for illegal entry under state law.
- Appoint a state immigration enforcement officer to coordinate with federal authorities.
- Empower local authorities to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.
- Broaden the legal definition of “gang-related activities” so that it includes undocumented immigrants.
- Education and voting reform to discourage undocumented immigrants.
- Tightening voter registration laws to ensure that only Florida citizens can legally vote.
- Increase penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit voter fraud.
- Impose ID verification for foreign remittances.
- Bail and flight risk presumptions when undocumented are brought up on charges.
- Repeal the 2014 law allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates to Florida colleges and universities.